Reginald Leonard Smith, 15 April 1936, London, England. After playing briefly in a skiffle group, this UK rock n roll singer secured a residency at Londons Condor Club under the name Reg Patterson. He was spotted by songwriter Lionel Bart, who subsequently informed entrepreneur Larry Parnes. The starmaker was keen to sign the singer and rapidly took over hi
Read more

Terence Perkins, 12 August 1941, Newport, Isle Of Wight, England. After moving to London in the mid-50s, Douglas came under the wing of agent Bunny Lewis, appeared on the television show 6.5 Special, and won a record contract with Decca Records before moving to Dick Rowes label, Top Rank. Covering American hits was the classic route to chart success, and in 1959 Dougl
Read more

Frank Abelson, 3 February 1928, Liverpool, England, d. 17 September 1999, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. While studying at Leeds College Of Art, Vaughans vocal performance at a college revue earned him a weeks trial at the Kingston Empire music hall. Warmly received, he went on to play the UK variety circuit, developing a stylish act with trademarks that
Read more

Terence Jet Harris (6 July 1939, Kingsbury, Middlesex, England; guitar) and Tony Meehan (b. Daniel Joseph Anthony Meehan, 2 March 1943, Hampstead, London, England, d. 28 November 2005, London, England; drums) began their partnership in 1959 as members of the Shadows. Meehan left the group in October 1961 to take up an A&R position at Decca Records, and the fo
Read more

Terence Nelhams, 23 June 1940, Acton, London, England, d. 8 March 2003, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. During the British coffee bar pop music phenomenon of the late 50s two artists reigned supreme: Cliff Richard and Adam Faith. While the former has shown astonishing staying power the young Faith had a remarkable run of hit records during the comparative
Read more

Formed in 1958 and fronted by vocalist Brian Poole (2 November 1941, Barking, Essex, England), this UK pop group were initially known as Brian Poole And The Tremilos when they made their debut at the Ilford Palais in 1960. Poole was originally known as a Buddy Holly imitator and even went as far as wearing spectacles filled with plain glass. After his backing musicians rever
Read more

20 June 1938, Fort Smith, Arkansas, USA. After moving to Tulsa in 1944 Keller formed the Lads Of Note Quartet in the 50s before joining the Tulsa Boy Singers. He won a talent contest organized by band leader Horace Heidt which earned him the vocalist job with Jack Daltons Orchestra. He then spent nine months as a disc jockey in Tulsa before moving to New York in 1956.
Read more

Arthur Gelien, 11 July 1931, New York City, New York, USA. This blond-haired, blue-eyed pop vocalist/actor was spotted in 1948, working at a stable, by talent scout Dick Clayton. He introduced him to Rock Hudsons Hollywood agent Harry Wilson, who said Weve got to tab you something, then named him Tab Hunter. He made his screen debut in the 1950 movieT
Read more

Thomas Hicks, 17 December 1936, Bermondsey, London, England. After serving as a merchant seaman, Hicks formed a skiffle trio called the Cavemen, with Lionel Bart and Mike Pratt, before being discovered by entrepreneur John Kennedy in the 2is coffee bar in Soho, London. A name change to Tommy Steele followed, and after an appearance at Londons Condor Club, the boy
Read more

2 June 1937, Birmingham, Alabama, USA. Some sources state 1942 as his year of birth. Jones, who had spent a long apprenticeship singing in R&B doo-wop groups, became a rock n roll star in the early 60s singing Handy Man and other hits with a dramatic and piercingly high falsetto. He began his career as a tap dancer, and in 1955 joined a vocal grou
Read more

28 September 1946, Bethnal Green, London, England. Shapiro drew considerable attention when, as a 14-year-old schoolgirl, she scored a UK Top 3 hit with Dont Treat Me Like A Child. A deep intonation belied her youth, and by the end of 1961 the singer had scored two chart-topping singles with You Dont Know and Walkin Back To Hap
Read more

A classic example of the one-hit-wonder syndrome, the Kalin Twins have a more interesting history than many who fall into that bracket. Herbie (Herbert Harry Kalin, 16 February 1934, Port Jervis, New York State, USA, d. 21 July 2006) and Harold Hal Kalin (b. 16 February 1934, Port Jervis, New York State, USA, d. 24 August 2005, Waldorf, Maryland, USA) were real l
Read more

John Dudley Leyton, 17 February 1939, Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England. Originally a small-time actor in the television series Biggles, Leytons good looks won him a recording contract with Top Rank Records. Backed by the strong management of Robert Stigwood and talented producer Joe Meek, he recorded Tell Laura I Love Her, but lost out to the chart-topping R
Read more